Indians “will not tolerate” casinos
As the Maharashtra government explores legal gaming, India’s federal Union Minister of Shipping & Transport Nitin Gadkari says he will fight any effort to bring casinos to the country.
“We oppose things like casinos, and I will not give permission for that,” Gadkari said at a public event reported by the Asia Gaming Brief. “People will also not tolerate such things. Entertainment facilities are welcome on the islands, but definitely not casinos.”
Presently, only Goa, Daman and Sikkim have legal gaming. But last year, a law student discovered that a law had been passed in Maharashtra in 1976 making it legal to operate casinos. The law was never fully enacted.
The Mumbai High Court directed the state government “to decide within reasonable time on the issue of implementation of the act, particularly since the legislation was enacted almost 40 years ago.” It also ordered officials to locate potential casino sites.
Lawmakers and revenue department officials will meet at the end of January, at which point the act may be notified. The state home department is studying gaming and casino laws applicable in Goa and Sikkim, including tax issues involved, before a final deliberation to decide on notifying the pending Maharashtra Casinos Act.
At the same time, the state of Goa has notified a decision permitting offshore casino operations on the River Mandovi through March. According to the Herald Goa, the government had planned to usher out the four casino cruise by the end of 2015, when their licenses came up for renewal. But Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said lawmakers cannot abruptly order the casino operations to relocate, “as it would send a wrong signal to investors,” the Herald reported. Casino operators are willing to move, but the government has not yet chosen a location.
